Katherine Baker

John Baker married Katherine Tilney Dec 24 1542 Saint Clement, Norwich, Norfolk, England

Katherine Tilney, who married a husband surnamed Baker. See Metcalfe, supra, p. 73, and ‘A Who’s Who of Tudor Women’ at: http://www.tudorwomen.com/?page_id=709

KATHERINE TYLNEY (d.1542+)

Katherine Tylney was the daughter of Sir Philip Tylney or Tilney of Shelley, Suffolk (d. January 8, 1532/3) and Elizabeth Jeffrey. She was the niece of Agnes Tylney, duchess of Norfolk. Through her mother, she was also related to the Brandon family and thus to the duke of Suffolk. She was a member of the dowager duchess of Norfolk’s household at Horsham in Sussex and at Lambeth, along with her sister-in-law, Malyn Tylney (née Chambre), Dorothy Baskerville, Margaret Benet, and Alice Wilkes, at the same time Catherine Howard was in the duchess’s care. After Catherine became queen, Katherine Tylney and Alice Restwold were among her chamberers, as was Margaret Morton, who had also been at Lambeth. While the queen was carrying on with her lover, Thomas Culpepper, everyone but Lady Rochford and Katherine were barred from Catherine’s bedchamber. When the whole sordid story came out, Katherine was interrogated about events at Lambeth, particularly how much the duchess knew about them. On November 13, 1541, she was questioned about more recent events at court, particularly at Lincoln on the recent progress and at Hampton Court. Katherine insisted that she’d never seen who it was the queen met in the wee hours of the morning. When the queen was tried, her appointment of Katherine as her chamberer was offered as further proof that she intended to return to the “abominable life” she had led in the duchess’s household. On December 22, 1541, along with a number of others, Katherine pleaded guilty to knowing of the wicked life of Catherine Howard before her marriage and concealing it from the king. She was sentenced to imprisonment in the Tower of London and the seizure of all she owned. As a single woman, she did not actually own anything. How long she was held is uncertain, but it was probably not for an extended period of time. The duchess was freed in May 1542. Katherine later married John Baker of Cambridge (d.1579+), half brother of Archbishop Matthew Parker, and had at least one child, Elizabeth (d.1606).

References

• https://www.stirnet.com/genie/data/british/tt/tilney1.php
• http://www.oxford-shakespeare.com/Probate/PROB_11-25-71.pdf
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Culpeper In 1540, Culpeper caught the attention of Henry's new teenaged bride, Catherine Howard, and by 1541 they were spending time together, often alone and late at night, aided and abetted by Catherine's Lady-in-waiting, Lady Rochford, the widowed sister-in-law of Anne Boleyn. The affair caused the downfall of all involved. Culpeper had close access to the Queen's apartments and often came into contact with the Queen and her attendants.[8] Thomas Culpeper was first introduced into Catherine Howard's personal life in March 1541, when King Henry VIII went on a trip to Dover and left Catherine behind at Greenwich. At this time Culpeper began asking favours of Catherine. The private meetings between them are thought to have begun sometime around May of that same year. Catherine's lady-in-waiting the Lady Rochford, arranged the meetings between Culpeper and Catherine. On these occasions only she and another lady-in-waiting, Katherine Tilney, were allowed entrance to the Queen's chamber.
• 22 December 1541 – The Howards and Tilneys tried for misprision of treason
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Clement%27s_Church,_Norwich The church is medieval and probably dates from the 11th century. It is now in the care of the Norwich Historic Churches Trust.